


By Any Other Name

by Trickster_Angel



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Conversations, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster_Angel/pseuds/Trickster_Angel
Summary: Josephine wants to know that Issala's name means. So she tells her.
Relationships: Female Adaar/Josephine Montilyet, Female Inquisitor/Josephine Montilyet
Kudos: 20





	By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> This is the same Issala from Ironically, Spiders. It's not necessary to read that story to understand this one but it's cute too so I'd recommend it. :)

It had been a long day. Issala had fought a dragon in the Hinterlands and was covered in burns and scratches. The healers had done what they could; it would take time to heal. Issala worked to change her bandages before bed, cleaning out the cuts and applying fresh linens. It was late, but she was staying up late on purpose.

Issala eagerly awaited the arrival of her girlfriend. Josephine had graciously agreed to spend the night in her room. She insisted that nothing would happen but Issala was fine with that. In fact, after the day she had, that was preferred. 

On cue, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Issala called. 

She sat at her desk, where she could keep the salves and bandages in arm’s reach. So she only heard the door open and then lock. A sudden thought that this wasn’t Josephine struck her. Her fears were alleviated when she saw her girlfriend ascend the stairs. Josephine was dressed in a frilly nightgown. Her dark hair had been freed from its bun and fell in loose waves over her shoulders. She was gorgeous.

“Inquisitor?” Josephine asked, “Is there something on my face?”

“No, not at all,” Issala replied as she stood up, “You’re beautiful.”

“Oh.” Her face took on a redder shade. “My.”

“You don’t need to be shy about it,” Issala said, “You are a gorgeous woman. Everyone who sees you knows it.”

“Such flattery,” Josephine said.

“You’ll have to get used to it,” Issala replied. She walked over and kissed her girlfriend’s forehead. “Feel free to get into bed. I just need to finish with these bandages.”

“I am not much of a healer but could you use help?”

“That’s okay. I’m almost done.” As Issala went back to her chair, she realized that Josephine called her Inquisitor. “You can call me Issala. We are courting. You don’t have to be so formal.”

“I do it because you are a woman deserving of respect. I would not want others to be so,” Josephine paused, “familiar with you, after we have worked so hard to establish our legitimacy.”

“I understand,” Issala replied, “But we’re alone now. Can you please call me Issala in private?”

“That, I can do, Issala.”

She loved the way that Josephine said her name. Of course, she loved so much about her.

“It is a lovely name. What does it mean?”

Issala looked back to the bite mark on her leg. The remnant of a dragonling that got too close. There wasn’t any easy way to say it. “It means dust.”

“Dust?” Josephine asked, bewildered.

“Dust,” Issala repeated.

“I-”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Issala said, “I like my name.” She took a breath and started to rewrap her wound. “My parents were born under the Qun. They were saarebas, which are mages. They escaped that life, with the help of my father’s arvaarad, his handler. They ended up good friends, once they were free. After some time on the run, I was born. 

“But you know how magic runs in bloodlines. Even two non-mages can have multiple mage children, never mind when both parents were mages. They knew I would have magic. And after the life they led, they knew a Vashoth mage daughter is little better than dust. So I was named Issala. It was a humble beginning but I’ve proved my name wrong.” Issala finished with the last wound and got up. 

Josephine was watching her attentively. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not ashamed of the life I’ve led. I may be a Vashoth mage, but I am not dust.”

“You are worth so much more than that,” Josephine said. She took Issala’s hands in her own. “Please never think of yourself as dust. You are a wonderful person and girlfriend. I love you.”

Issala kissed Josephine’s forehead. “I love you too. I don’t think of myself as dust. I know I’m worth more.”

“Good,” Josephine said.

“Ready for bed?”

“Yes. It has been a long day.”   
“Yes it has.”

Josephine climbed under the covers as Issala extinguished the candles around the room. Creating a flame in her hand to see, she made her way back to the bed. “By the way, what does Josephine mean?”

“It doesn’t make a great deal of sense,” she replied, “It’s a translated name from a translated name that means ‘he will add’. Its meaning is not as clear as yours.”

“Our names really have no bearing on who we are,” Issala said, “But Josephine is a lovely name.”

“Oh, thank you, Issala,” Josephine said, “Your name is lovely as well.”

“Even if you know the meaning now?”

“Even still.”

Issala laughed a little and kissed her girlfriend. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Have a good night.”   
“Good night.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to see sneak previews of my upcoming works and get writing tips, please check out my writing blog: a-writing-trickster-angel.tumblr.com


End file.
